I plopped down into my squeaky computer chair with the idea that I would write a pithy post tonight. But I noticed something funny on the monitor scree, a funny little rotating light.
I immediately put both hands over both eyes and closed my eyes tight. Yup: funny little light is still there and growing in size. I haven’t lost too much of my vision yet, but I will soon be unable to see peripherally to the left or right (I think it will be to the right as the migraine seems to be in the right eye).
If I close my eyes and concentrate on the lights, I see an image that reminds me of carnival lights: moving, neon, and geometric in shape. It grows as the migraine grows in intensity, but there is no pain associated with it. It will last between 30 and 45 minutes, and then it will fade completely away. If I am unlucky, a headache will follow in about 2 days, but I rarely get the actual head-splitting migraine pain, so I am counting on being lucky.
The first time I experienced one of these, I was about 20 years old. Scared me to death. I thought I was going blind or insane. I made an immediate appointment with an eye doctor who kindly explained the ocular migraine to me in layman’s terms. It was 1976 and he told me that the blood vessels around my ocular nerve were tightening, a phenomena that caused me to see little “halo” lights.
That is not how they describe an ocular migraine in the 21st Century. I do know that If I catch it early enough, taking a single aspirin will stop it in its tracks. I know how long one lasts. I know I cannot drive when I have one (I really do lose the peripheral vision out of whichever eye the migraine is occurring in.
Right now, it is a reverse – C shape and mostly yellow and white, but the geometric shapes are constantly moving and flickering like the old neon lights of my youth. I am having a more difficult time typing as I am missing much of my vision.
This site (AllAboutVision) has the best explanation of what is happening in my eye, and it includes a little graphic that gives you an idea of what an ocular migraine looks like (in case you have never experienced one). Take that graphic and make the lights moving and you have what I see.
Other people describe it differently.
It is full blown now. I have angry red flashing lights, calming blue triangles, and the constant yellow-and-white flashing lights. I cannot see anything in the right area where the lights are: about 6 o’clock and up to the middle of my eye, over to 5 o’clock.
There is no rhyme or reason to an ocular migraine. They just happen, usually in clusters. And sometimes, I don’t have one for a year or so. If one happens at work, I stop what I am doing a cover my eyes. It’s all I can do.
But if one happens at home, I like to stop and just watch it. It’s like a built-in light show. The lights fluctuate, move around, flash. The shapes change, but they are always geometric in form, although the entire effect is semi-circular. Sometimes I just sit and try to see what I cannot see. The lamp before me or the calendar on the wall, the glass to my right.
They don’t scare me any more. I’ve been having them for 36 years now and I’m somewhat used to them, although the timing is somewhat unnerving (especially if they happen when I need to be driving and I find myself having to wait to drive somewhere, like home from work). I just thank my lucky stars that I rarely get the true migraine that can follow one of these episodes.
This one is almost over. The lights are faded and the blank spot is getting smaller.
I’ll proof this and then post it – would you mind sharing with me if you also suffer ocular migraines and describe what you see when you have one?
I’m just curious.
Jaci Dawn 
Jaci, have you read this series? http://www.amazon.com/WWW-Trilogy-Robert-J-Sawyer/dp/044101853X
You are describing a constant scene that the protagonist has, and she is totally blind.
My mother (also blind) would describe her phantom light shows she would get as her corneal transplants were dying.
Due to my parents I have an unusual appreciation for my sight. I hope your migraine does nothing but provide you with entertainment.
I started getting ocular migraines at the end of April this year. Came out of the blue and really had me wondering if someone had drugged my coffee at work. I called my wife, who told me to call my eye doctor, and I saw him that afternoon. After checking me for a detached retina, he explained to me the ocular migraine details and theories, and told me he’s gotten them for years, sometimes even twice a day, but with no headaches.
I asked my older brothers if they’d had them and one of them told me he’d had them for 15 years. They started when we were roughly the same age.
I’ve had four of them now, the most recent being this morning. All four have started around 10:30 AM while I was looking at my laptop’s external monitor. I have tried to tie them to Peet’s coffee, what I had for breakfast, what the light is outside and anything else I could find in common, but for now, it seems to have something to do with the monitor.
It starts with me noticing something there, on a letter or near a word, and it is like a small glowing blind spot. It grows and moves right to left and from low to high, and at one point eclipses what I am directly looking at so that only the edges of my eyes can see. Happens in both eyes, and lasts anywhere from 10 to 40 minutes. The longer it lasts, it seems the lesser the headache afterwards, although none of the headaches have been bad or horrific. Usually, I take Advil when it is happening or ended. Today I took aspirin while it was waning. I have a little bit of a headache that hope stops soon. Very soon.
As it gets larger and more toward the center I see jagged, zigzagging lines, and they are colorful and bright, but not totally overwhelming. Still, it is annoying and really makes it impossible to work while it is happening. It is definitely peculiar, and I’d rather not have them, but until I can find a trigger, I suspect I have no choice.
Take care.
Peter – you describe my ocular migraines perfectly. Sorry that you are now experiencing them. I think sometimes stress is involved and sometimes, bright flashes of light (like a reflection from a chrome bumper on a car in a parking lot) will set them off. But, primarily, it is some stressor.
Good luck in finding the cause!